Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed off on the repeal of police
traffic stop reforms made in Memphis after the fatal beating of Tyre
Nichols by officers in January 2023, despite pleas from Nichols� parents
to GOP lawmakers and the governor to give them a chance to find
compromise.

The Republican governor�s signature means the law immediately renders some
of Memphis� ordinances null and void, including one that outlawed so-
called pretextual traffic stops, such as for a broken taillight and other
minor violations. Lee echoed arguments from Republican lawmakers who
argued Nichols� death needed to result in accountability for officers who
abuse power, not new limits on how authorities conduct traffic stops.

"I think what�s most important for us to remember is that we can give law
enforcement tools, but we�ve got to hold law enforcement to a standard of
using those tools appropriately, where there�s an appropriate interaction
with the public," Lee told reporters Friday, earlier this month of his
decision to sign the bill. "That�s not what we understand has happened all
the time, and certainly their family would attest to that."

TYRE NICHOLS DEATH: LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

To date, Lee has never vetoed a piece of legislation since taking office
nearly seven years ago, only occasionally letting bills become law without
signing them to send a message of his concern or disapproval. He rarely
bucks his political party�s wishes, and he is notably attempting to push
through a contentious universal school voucher bill where he needs
Republican support in order for it to pass.

Nichols� death last January sparked outrage and calls for reforms
nationally and locally. Videos showed an almost 3-minute barrage of fists,
feet and baton strikes to Nichols� face, head, front and back, as the 29-
year-old Black man yelled for his mother about a block from home.

Nichols� parents, mother RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells, were
among the advocates who drummed up support for the Memphis city council
last year to pass ordinance changes.

Many Republican elected officials in Tennessee also joined in the public
outcry over Nichols� death at the time. The month afterward, Lee even
mentioned the Nichols family in his annual State of the State speech,
saying "their courage, along with the compassion shown by the people of
Memphis, is a picture of hope."

TENNESSEE LEGISLATURE MOVES TO REVERSE ORDINANCES WEAKENING POLICE
AUTHORITY AFTER TYRE NICHOLS' DEATH

Yet the majority-white Legislature has repeatedly rebuffed many Black
leaders' call for police reforms and oversight, and instead have sided
with advocates who don�t want new limits on police authority.

In recent years, lawmakers have reacted similarly when they disagree with
how Democrat-voting Memphis and Nashville run their cities. They have
preempted local power to undo progressive policies, took more authority
over local boards, and kept a hardline approach to crime in Memphis.

Nichols� parents, in this case, said their attempts to get the bill
sponsors to commit to finding some middle ground failed, leaving them and
supporters in the Memphis community feeling marginalized and discouraged.
Nichols� parents said they felt misled by Rep. John Gillespie, leading
them to skip one trip to Nashville when they thought he would delay the
bill. Instead, House Republicans passed it without the Nichols� parents
there. Gillespie argued it was a miscommunication.

When they returned another day for the Senate vote, Sen. Brent Taylor
denied their pleas to pause the bill and try to find middle ground.
RowVaughn Wells was in tears after the exchange, and the couple left
before the Senate passed the bill.

They also penned a letter to Lee before he ultimately signed the bill.

"After the death of our son, you generously offered your support in our
pursuit of justice," they wrote, imploring Lee to veto the bill. "This is
that moment, Governor. We need your support now, more than ever."

Five officers, who were also Black, were charged with federal civil rights
violations in Nichols� death, and second-degree murder and other criminal
counts in state court. One has pleaded guilty in federal court. The U.S.
Department of Justice is investigating how Memphis Police Department
officers use force and conduct arrests and whether the department in the
majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.

Democratic lawmakers said the bill is a slap in the face to Nichols�
grieving parents and the government in majority-Black Memphis. Some also
were flummoxed that state Republicans were trying to undo changes made in
reaction to Nichols� death even while federal authorities are still
broadly investigating policing and race in Memphis.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-gov-bill-lee-signs-bill-undo-memphis-
traffic-stop-reforms-tyre-nichols-death